KURE BEACH, N.C. — The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is asking for help from the public to name three baby otters born at its facility.
The trio, all girls, were born this spring, and the aquarium said in a news release that its staff has narrowed down the choices to four trios of names.
“The team at the aquarium researched and shared meaningful naming ideas based on the native habitat of Asian small-clawed otters and the unique circumstances of when they were born,” Shannon Anderson, otter keeper at NCAFF, said in a statement.
The pups were born on May 21, during a full moon, king tide and a storm, WITN reported. Those factors all were part of the inspiration for the names.
The naming trios include:
· Stella, Mae and Selene (moon, Thailand moon goddess and goddess of the moon)
· Padma, Bulan and Melati (three national flowers of Indonesia)
· Tala, Reyna and Ula (bright star, queen and small one)
· Java, Bali and Nusa (volcanic islands in Indonesia)
The zoo created a website where people can cast their vote for the pups’ names, which features personality traits listed for each of the babies to help in the decision-making process.
Zookeepers described Pup#1, the largest, saying: “much of the time, her face has a grumpy look on it.”
Pup #2, the smallest, is also described as having the “loudest vocals” with zookeepers saying, “she is playful and even though she is the smallest, she was the first to open her eyes.”
Pup #3 is described as shy and timid.
The three pups are Asian small-clawed otters, which are the smallest of the otter species, weighing less than 10 pounds and growing up to 2 feet long, according to the National Zoo. The species is considered “vulnerable” by conservationists.
The deadline to vote is August 26 at noon, and you can vote here.
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